My dad got a new job. We had to pack up and move away from everything we were familiar with. There were so many changes. We came from the north, and now we were almost as far south as possible. We landed in South Florida, and we were total strangers. We moved over during the summer vacation, so I didn’t have to deal with school right away. Summer passed by while we unpacked, arranged furniture, found stores we liked, and adapted to the Sunshine State.

School was coming, and I was afraid of it. I was not an adventurous person. Being shy and quiet, I read a lot and did not make friends easily. My head was filled with fears and worries. Would I make friends? Would If it in? Would I survive in this strange new world? Anyway, there I was, attending a new school full of people I didn’t know.

I had a difficult time adapting to the new school. However, I still loved learning and reading. I even loved homework, and I was good at doing my homework. Loving books and reading helped me to get good grades. Teachers loved that about me. Other kids, though, did not. Although I always answered questions in class, I seldom talked with my classmates. I was unpopular. I felt like a total failure and nobody would like me.

The none day, at all boy walked over to me after an English class. He introduced himself and told me he was in the school basketball team. I knew him—he was the star player! “Hey,” he said. “You do really well in English class. And you know, my teammates and I spend much time competing and practicing. The subjects, especially English, really bother us. Do you think you could help us?” “Yes. Oh, definitely yes. I could, and I would,” I replied with surprise. We made the deal with an exchange of smiles.

Something gradually changed after that.

Meanwhile, the basketball players taught me how to play basketball.

Jessica and Cayla were two sisters, who loved each other very much. They were not only sisters, but they were best friends, too. They liked to eat, play, go to school and do everything together. Nothing could break them apart!

One day, there was a running race competition at school. Both Jessica and Cayla were very fast runners and they were sure they would win if they signed up for it. They were very excited to participate together. And there were other friends too, who were all going to run.

The judge blew the whistle… toooot!! Everyone started running. Jessica and Cayla were running as fast as they could. They were running so fast that they passed everyone in a very short time. The audience was cheering, “Look at the sisters. They are so fast, like lightening!” Hearing the cheers, they ran even faster. They barely looked at each other.

Suddenly Cayla hit a stone on the race track. She got hurt and fell down, with her leg bleeding. She called Jessica to stop and give her a hand. She groaned (呻吟) with pain. But Jessica wouldn’t stop or look. She guessed that Cayla just had a slight fall. She had only one thought on her mind. She had to win this race!

Jessica reached the finish line first. The judge announced, “You are the first, Jessica!” But, there was no applause from the crowd. Jessica was surprised. She had won but no one was clapping for her. She turned back to see if her sister Cayla was close behind her. But she was not there! Jessica was worried that something bad had happened.

Jessica started running back. Soon she reached the spot where Cayla was lying injured. Jessica felt awful. She was not there for her sister when she needed her the most.

Feeling guilty for her behavior, Jessica sat down to check Cayla’s injury.

When both the sisters reached the finish line, they hugged.

A 12-year-old boy saw something in a shop window that set his heart racing. It was a necklace with shining pearls. But the price, five dollars would buy almost a week’s groceries for his family.

Reuben couldn’t ask his father for the money. Everything his father made through fishing went to his mother, Dora, who struggled to feed and clothe her five children.

Nevertheless, he opened the shop’s door and went inside. Standing proud and straight in his flour-sack shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, “Once we went to New York, my mum saw a same one. I know she liked it very much, because she fixed her eyes on it. I will buy it for her. But I don’t have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time?”

“I’ll try,” the shop owner smiled. “People around here don’t usually have that kind of money to spend on such good-looking but costly things. It should keep for a while. ”

Reuben respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out. He had made up his mind to raise the five dollars and not tell anybody.

Hearing the sound of hammering from a side street, Reuben had an idea. He discovered that he could collect the hessian sacks (麻袋) thrown away in the street and sell them back for five cents a piece.

Every day after school, Reuben walked down the town, collecting the hessian sacks. On the day when summer holiday began, no student was more delighted than Reuben. Now he would have more time for his “work”.

All summer long, Reuben kept on his secret task. Soon the leaves fell and the winds blew cold. Reuben wandered in the streets, diligently searching for his hessian treasures. Often, he was cold, tired and hungry, but the thought of the object in the shop window supported him.

Eventually, the time had come! It was Mothers’ Day. He poured the coins out and began to count. Then he counted again. He made it! Exactly five dollars, not a cent more, not a cent less.

Holding the money in hands tightly, Reuben headed for the shop.

Mother opened the box carefully, and a shining necklace appeared.

5 . Good friendship can get people through almost anything. Many times, a good friend will know what you need before you even ask for it, and they’ll want to offer a helping hand. That’s what happened to two friends in Caddo Hills High School. When one differently abled young man needed help, his friend went above and beyond.

When Brandon and Tanner met, Brandon was using a hand-push wheelchair. The chair was becoming kind of a pain for Brandon as he had to push his way down the halls from class to class around Caddo Hills High School. “My arms would get really tired and I would have to stop and take rests,” said Brandon.

Sometimes when they were together, Brandon would ask Tanner to push his wheelchair. Tanner was happy to help. Most often, Tanner would offer to help and he noticed how hard using this wheelchair was on his friend. Tanner thought that if his friend had had an electric wheelchair, life would be easier for him. But Brandon’s family was unable to afford it. Seeing how much his friend struggled in his wheelchair, Tanner made up his mind to do something about it. “He’s just been a really good friend and I wanted to do him a favor. I just felt like I needed to do it and I wanted to do it,” Tanner explained.

Then the enthusiastic(热心的)high school student became devoted to getting his friend a wheelchair. He got an after-school job at an auto repair shop and he worked there every afternoon. In order to help his friend out, Tanner worked part-time for two years. All of the money he earned went towards saving for a self-powered wheelchair. That moment finally came in late February, when he would present Brandon with a life-changing gift during the school day.

The Leap

Once a twelve-year-old boy was traveling around the world by sea. His father was the captain of the ship. Now, the ship was sailing home at last. It was a pleasant day. All the passengers were on the deck(甲板).

A monkey was making funny faces at the passengers. It became funnier as more passengers came closer, enjoying its tricks. Suddenly the monkey ran towards the captain’s son and took his hat. It then put the hat on its own head. Soon after that, it climbed up the tall pole with two crossbeams(横梁)that supported the sails(帆) on the ship.

Everyone laughed, but the boy was not sure whether to laugh or cry. It had come as a surprise. The monkey sat on the first crossbeam of the pole, took off the hat and began to tear it.

The hat was too important for the boy. So he shouted with extreme anger, “You terrible creature! Return my hat or you are going to pay for it.” He went after the monkey on the pole, which continued to climb higher.

“I am not going to forgive you,” the boy shouted, as he climbed higher and higher. After a while, the monkey stretched itself to its full length and hung what remained of the hat on the end of the second crossbeam. Then it climbed to the very tip of the pole and sat there, making fun of the boy.

The distance from the pole to the end of the crossbeam, where the hat was, was about two meters. To reach the hat, the boy had to let go of the pole. Everyone froze with fear when they saw the boy had stepped onto the crossbeam without support. One wrong step, and he would fall hard to the board of the ship, which would lead to death. The only solution was to jump into the water. However, the boy didn’t realize the danger, as his mind was focused only on getting the hat.

Just then the captain came on deck.

Seeing his son wet but alive, the captain breathed a sigh of relief.

When my husband Randy died in late fall, deciding what to do with his garden was way down on the list of necessary tasks. During the first few months, I cried with our daughters, planned a memorial, cried with my family, celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving, and panicked over not having bought Christmas presents.

As the calendar turned to a new year, the often rainy days and long nights deepened my sorrow. I found myself exhausted at the end of February, both physically and mentally.

Then the daffodils bloomed (开花) in the garden.

Years before, Randy had planted dozens of these lemon-yellow flowers. To him, they served as a reminder of hope, a promise that light and warmth would soon replace cold and dark. Looking at those dauffodils, I thought about how Randy had considered our garden a living work of art, carefully choosing plants so we’d see new blooms every month.

Then I noticed all the weeds that had taken root and spread everywhere. The neglect (疏于打理) showed, for Randy’s illness had lasted a couple of years, a time when he didn’t have energy for yard work the way he had before.

Faced with the neglected garden, I felt overwhelmed in the beginning. My daughters suggested I hire a service to clean everything up. I didn’t respond.

Every time I sat in the garden alone, the memories of the lively garden came flooding, like the numerous scenes in an unforgettable film. Many days Randy came home from work, changed into old clothes, and headed out the door to mow or prune (修剪). Orange dragonflies followed him around the yard as he worked. Honeybees buzzed among the flowers, birds sang beautiful songs, and gentle breezes carried the sweet smell of dirt. No matter how cold or wet it was, the fresh air and physical activity made him energized and refreshed. For Randy, the work was quiet and comforting, which was a relief, as well as a pleasure.

The days grew warmer and lighter, and I started the work myself.

Weeks later, my daughters returned to visit me.

Younger cried. Her mum was to provide medical treatment in Pakistan for a whole year. She couldn’t imagine how she would get by without her mother’s company. Mum cooked her dinner every night, and Mum took good care of her. Mum was her best friend. They talked together, they spent their leisure time together, and except for school and work, they were never apart. So Younger was unhappy about her mother’s leaving without even asking for her input.

“Why now? I will have college entrance exam this year!” Younger complained. Her face fell. Mum smelled a tense atmosphere hovering in the air. She carefully picked each explanatory word. But Younger had built a wall between them. Only several words like POOR, DISABILITIES, RESPONSIBILITY, SAVE…were lucky enough to float over it and into her ears. Feeling heartbroken and abandoned, she stormed into her room, banging the door shut. She threw herself onto the bed and cried like a baby. Mum knocked and knocked. But Younger just wanted to be left alone.

Younger overestimated her ability to stop Mum, to whom Pakistan was a magnet(磁铁). Two days later, Mum left for Pakistan. It seemed they went their separate ways. Younger cried a lot. Her eyes were always red, so red that her head teacher suggested she should not stay up too late attacking math problems. Her classmates also offered their ways of studying math. Only her father knew the secret.

Mum called her after settling in Pakistan for one week. The voice instantly brought a sparkle into Younger’s eyes. They excitedly filled each other in on what happened recently. Mum giggled when she heard the story of Younger’s red eyes. And the daughter found her mother was speaking English with a Pakistani accent.

Time wore on quickly and it was October when students had a short holiday. Younger couldn’t wait to visit her Mum. Dad booked air tickets. After some preparations, they boarded the plane bound for Pakistan.

After arrival, Younger was told her mother was out for a medical task.

Back at school, she was determined to study harder and follow Mum’s lead.